


2.28.1957

by bossxtweed



Series: Jack & Sam [2]
Category: Doctor Who (2005), Torchwood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-02-08 15:55:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18626452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bossxtweed/pseuds/bossxtweed
Summary: Jessica was adopted as a baby; this is the story of how one of her biological fathers helped her cope with her Bar Mitzvah shortly after she had realized that she's trans.





	2.28.1957

She hated suits. She hated the way they were cut and the way they framed her body and the way everyone perceived her when she wore them, but she dare not ask to wear a dress on this day, the day of her thirteenth birthday.

The day of the ceremony.

Her parents and relatives congratulated her, told her how handsome she had become, and asked whether she would follow in her father’s footsteps and pursue a rabbinical career, or if she would pursue something just as noble; law or medicine, perhaps. Her older cousin had just graduated medical school and could put in a good word for her. And the family could _always_ use another doctor! Women would fawn over her and men would pay good money for such an intelligent, handsome young doctor.

The crowd of people around her were addressing _someone_ , someone they **_thought_ ** to be her, but her thoughts were elsewhere and she felt _wrong_ hearing them address this person, this _construct,_ and so she tried her best to appear calm despite the shaking in her hands as she walked into the bathroom. She silently thanked Hashem when she saw it was empty and broke down crying at her reflection.

 _I can’t go through with this,_ she thought, turning her gaze down towards the sink. She turned on the cold water, cupped it in her hands, and gulped down several handfuls before turning off the cold water and turning on the hot water that scolded her hands and steamed up the bathroom mirrors.

She didn’t notice him walk in. He spared her only a glance before going into a stall and taking care of what he needed to before joining her at the sinks, washing his own hands, drying them, and then circling back to stand beside her, a deep frown on his face.

“Your hands are turning red,” he said with immense concern. “Let me turn the water off for you.” She turned towards him and followed his hands with her gaze as he leaned over and turned off the tap.

“--it’s fine, I--”

“You’ve been crying.”

She found his gaze suddenly too much to bare and turned back towards the sink, bracing her hands against the counter, the sleeves of her jacket clinging wetly to her arms. Her mother would scold her for that.

“I want to be alone,” she told him, reaching for a towel to wipe the tears from her face, her hands red and stinging as she dried them.

“People’ve been asking where you went. It looks bad when the Bar Mitzvah kid disappears to the bathroom for a long period of time -- people start to wonder if you’re _doing drugs_ or _fooling around_ or--” he sighed, took a step closer to her, and hesitantly placed one hand on her shoulder.

“My name’s Jack. Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”

Something in his eyes, or his voice, or his manner compelled her to trust him; she felt  oddly connected to him, and his hand on her shoulder brought a taste of mint and decay to her mouth. “I-- I can’t do this.”

Jack said nothing, just stared at her intently.

She swallowed the lump in her throat.

His gaze contained something she found strange, something that proved both disarming and comforting, something that made her throat tight as she held back a sob. “Hey,” he told her, and he gave her shoulder a squeeze as if to say, _it’s alright, I’m here and I’m listening._

“I-- I can’t-- I’m going to tell you something and you can’t tell anyone else. _Promise._ **_Promise me_ **you won’t tell!”

He nodded gravely and dropped his hand from her shoulder. “Of course. Whatever it is, however I can help--” tears were forming in his eyes and her own heart pounded loudly, angrily in her chest.

She met his gaze again and this time kept it despite the voice screaming in her head that this was best left unsaid, that this stranger (who looked and _felt_ familiar) was not the best person to reveal such heavy, life-altering news to. She took a deep breath.

“I’m not a boy, or a man, I’m-- I’m a girl. A woman. But I haven’t told my parents and now they expect me to be a _man_ and I **_can’t--_ **”

Jack pulled her into a sudden, tight hug, and she sobbed against him with all the heartache of someone who has just bared their soul for judgement and who feared for their very safety lest they receive a bad reaction. After a moment, he broke the hug, placed both hands on her shoulders, and grinned.

“ _You,_ young lady, are **_strong_** and **_beautiful_** and-- from what I hear-- **_talented_**. When you tell your parents, I feel confident they’ll come around and support you no matter what, but I know how awful it can feel in the moment. Just hang in there for me, okay?”

She had an inkling that she knew why he looked so familiar and so she nodded, smiling a wobbly smile and heavy heart lighter for having confided in someone.


End file.
